“John, you have the wrong idea…”
“The HELL I do!” Daniel yelled just as Blond Guy grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.
“I thought we straightened out your ignorant behavior,” said Blond Guy as he drew back his fist.
Daniel had enough. He blocked the punch and hit the poor bastard right in the face. “There you go, Katherine. He’s already lying down for you and everything. Sorry if he can’t kiss you for a couple of days.”
“Oh my God! Jacob!”
“Jacob…yeah, you have fun with Jacob. Just remember one thing, Katherine, I could have made you a very happy woman.”
With that, Daniel stepped over Jacob’s sprawled out body and climbed in the truck. He knew that there was no other option than to get the hell out of Prairie. Get the hell away from Katherine.
Daniel spent his days busting his butt around the farm, sleeping, avoiding Carl’s phone calls, and sleeping some more. He vowed to never step foot in that bar again. Weeks had passed and he still couldn’t get Katherine out of his head. He avoided going into town as much as possible. The last thing he needed was to run into her precious Jacob. Daniel had lots of different names for him and would love to loudly verbalize each one to his face, but to avoid jail, he had to stay away from the guy.
He picked up the phone and dialed his father.
“Daniel, how are you?” Francesco got up and walked over to the large office windows that looked over Manhattan. He wanted to retire; he wanted his son to take over the business.
“Father, I’m sorry for everything. You were right, I needed to grow up and learn some things. I desperately need to come home though.”
“What have you learned?” Francesco missed his son and couldn’t hide the compassion in his voice. But he had to be sure. He weakened when it came to Daniel, and that’s the worst thing he could do.
“I’ve learned about hard work, making it on my own, that women are crazy, and that I’ll remain a bachelor for the rest of my life!” Daniel didn’t realize how loud and fast he was talking.
“If you feel all of that, Daniel, you still aren’t ready to come home. What you’re doing is running, which you’ve done all your life. You run to escape decisions, emotions, and responsibility. I love you and I miss you, my son, but now isn’t the time.”
Daniel listened to his father hang up the phone.
The weeks were one big blur to Daniel. He felt as if everything had been stripped from him. Everything had. He was feeling that way each morning as he got up for work at the farm. Mornings turned into nights, nights turned into the dreaded mornings of knowing there was nothing for him to look forward to. He didn’t even care about the family business anymore. He had definitely avoided the bar at all costs.
Daniel’s body had gotten more muscular, but it didn’t make the work any easier under the heat of the sun. He never planted a thing in his life, let alone rows of vegetables, corn, potatoes, and other things. What saved him was the daydreaming. Constantly dreaming of Katherine made the hours fly by. She had proved him wrong, though. She was no different than Marissa and the rest of the women he entertained.
It wasn’t normal for him to be thinking of just one woman. He didn’t want to think about Katherine, but if he stopped, it would mean that she’d be totally gone. She wasn’t someone Daniel was ready to let go of.
The summer months had blended, and the heat was horrid. The horseflies had left their share of bites, as Daniel had become accustomed to taking off his shirt. He found himself working ridiculously hard so Rosie would have less to do. Why aren’t there other people helping? Where the hell is Sam?
He stopped one blistering day to wash his head down with the garden hose. The rows of plants that were producing delicious food for the table gave him a sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment, respect for the south and the clean, peaceful scenery. The most respect was for the farmers. No one works harder. Even though he felt sore most days, he could definitely see why Rosie loved it here so much.
He had become so fond of the horses and had absolutely no fear of them. Without being asked, he would wash them down and groom them. Daniel had more conversations with these horses than he could count.
The summer flew by for Daniel. He was grateful when the days began to cool off and autumn spread its glorious colors across the land.
It was such a beautiful day. The temperature was perfect, so Daniel wanted to walk and just enjoy the scenery. He was feeling completely relaxed until he found himself standing in the meadow, right where he’d pulled Katherine into his arms. Right where he’d held her when she cried and told him the things she wanted out of life. She disclosed her sorrow, her pain, and did it so well. Some guy shows up with the nicest car that Prairie has probably ever seen, and she runs to him! He left the meadow with his mood no longer light. Daniel headed to his room so he could doze off. Sleeping and working the land had become his favorite times of each day. Being in his own head was crushing him. He’d never felt this way before and was just sinking inside himself.
Rosie was waiting for him at the kitchen table with a plate full of food that she had prepared, and a steaming cup of coffee. The leaves had fallen from the trees, and the sky stayed gloomy more days than it didn’t. The morning frosts were definitely warning of winter’s arrival. The young man had been on the farm for eight months, and Rosie had become quite fond of him. His joyful disposition had dropped like the leaves, and she couldn’t withhold her concern any longer.
“Okay, spill it.” Rosie was done watching him mope around. He was way too young not be enjoying himself in life.
“Spill what?” Daniel ate without even bothering to savor the flavor of the delicious, hot meal.
“John, you’re not even the same person. Something happened to you, and if I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with a female.”
“There isn’t a female in my life.” Daniel wished she would just change the topic.
“There are more fish in the sea, it’s a true story.”
“Rosie, I do not want a woman in my life. They all want the same thing.” Daniel had to change the topic for her, or he risked spilling something about his real identity. He was forbidden to attach himself to the Giordano name. The deal was to make it on his own without having the family’s wealth and reputation carry him.
“So, how are the horses?”
“You were with them last night for over two hours. Those aren’t the females I was talking about. What’s going on, John? Maybe the advice from an old bat like me could help some.”